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(a) Except as otherwise provided in subsection (b) or (c) of this section, no current or former official or employee, including any current or former official or employee of the board or the inspector general, shall use or disclose, other than in the performance of his official duties and responsibilities, or as may be required by law, confidential information or any non-public information, including the identity of the subject of an investigation, gained in the course of an investigation or by reason of his position or employment.
(b) If any person requests the opinion of the board regarding past or ongoing conduct, and if the board determines, pursuant to its rules, that the conduct involves a minor violation of this chapter, the board may issue such person a letter of warning or admonition for the first such violation. However, if the board determines, pursuant to its rules, that the conduct involves a violation of this chapter which is not a minor violation or that the conduct involves a subsequent violation of the same conduct for which the person has been issued a letter of warning or admonition, the board shall advise such person to stop the conduct and inform the person of this subsection's timeline for self-reporting. Such person may, if the person wishes, self-report the violation to the inspector general within 14 days. If the board finds that the person did not self- report the violation within 14 days, the board shall provide the person's name, the violation reported, and all related information the board deems relevant, to the inspector general. Except for purposes of investigations for subsequent violations of the same conduct, a letter of warning or admonition issued to a subject pursuant to this section shall be kept confidential. This subsection applies to conduct that occurred or is occurring on or after July 1, 2013.
(c) Any person may use an advisory opinion issued by the board regarding such person's future conduct as evidence supporting the person's position or as otherwise appropriate in any investigation or disciplinary proceeding. Once the person uses the board's opinion in accordance with this subsection, the board, if requested in writing citing this subsection by the person or one of the entities referred to in this subsection, shall disclose all confidential or non-public information related to the advisory opinion that does not compromise a third party's confidentiality to the inspector general or any city department or agency conducting the investigation or disciplinary proceeding.
(Prior code § 26.2-7; Added Coun. J. 5-16-90, p. 16204; Amend Coun. J. 2-13-13, p. 46730, § 1; Amend Coun. J. 7-29-15, p. 3567, § 1; Amend Coun. J. 2-10-16, p. 19348, § 3)